The Second 50

Work days:

5.30 am wake up (urgh!)

10 pm close eyes

Weekends:

7-8 am wake up

11 pm (ish) close eyes

Holidays:

5-6 am depending on where we are (if we are away), we might want to get an early start to travel the next destination, take a hike, etc. (Yay!)

10 pm ish close eyes (usually because we are exhausted from our travel adventures!)

Why does it always seem easier to get up early when we are on holiday?

Is it the excitement of what’s to come? Is it a lack of daily routine and the associated pressures? Is it wanting to make the most of every waking moment? Or perhaps a little of all of them?

Rationale for sleep

I get the benefits of a good night’s sleep, particularly to optimise good general health and physical and mental well-being. But during a usual work week, I sometimes struggle to shut my brain off at night. I lay there with my head on the pillow, and I think about what I’ve done and what’s still on my ‘to-do’ list; things I can’t control at 10 pm at night.

The thing I am working on now in ‘The Second 50’ is relaxation and mindfulness, so I can give myself permission to leave the stress of the day behind me and to let tomorrow take care of itself in due time. It’s definitely a work in progress for me, and no doubt, many others.